彼岸

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 彼岸 is read as ひがん and means either the Buddhist “other shore” beyond delusion or the Higan observance around the spring and autumn equinoxes.
• Basic usage: Distinguish 迷いを越えた彼岸 as a religious concept from 彼岸に墓参りをする as the observance period.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Two Buddhist contexts
  • The monk’s 彼岸 is the shore beyond delusion, while the family grave visit occurs during Japan’s equinoctial Higan period.
• Not an ordinary opposite bank
  • Context should preserve the Buddhist concept or observance rather than reducing the word to a routine physical far bank.